INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Full-time
Manufacturing / Production / Operations
Posted on April 1, 2019
Req #: | 161642 |
Department: | THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY |
Job Location: | Seattle Campus |
Posting Date: | 03/25/2019 |
Closing Info: | Open Until Filled |
Salary: | Salary is commensurate with experience and education |
Limited Recruitment: |
Other
|
Shift: | First Shift |
Notes: | Please note that this position has been re-posted. If you have already submitted your application, you need not submit it again, as it has already been received. |
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. All of which has allowed the UW to be nationally recognized as a “Great College to Work For” for five consecutive years.
The Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) supports and advances the teaching, learning, and research activities of the University of Washington by providing and coordinating programs and services that foster a safe and healthy campus community. We are currently seeking a knowledgeable and experienced industrial hygienist to support the UW’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Section for the UW EH&S Department.
Reporting to the Manager of Program Operations, OSH this position will be part of a team of subject matter experts working to identify, evaluate and control health and safety risks at the University of Washington. The Industrial Hygienist will primarily work with senior staff members and support the development, implementation and sustainment of industrial hygiene programs as well as supporting workplace safety programs and services.
The successful candidate will become familiar with the mission, vision, strategic objectives, policies and procedures affecting the department and Health Sciences Administration (HSA). EH&S interacts regularly with HSA and the University’s organizational units (academic, operational, administrative, clinical and research), as well as external regulatory entities (e.g., WA Department of Health, Department of Ecology, National Institutes of Health, WA Dept. of Labor and Industries, etc.). The ideal candidate must be organized and able to quickly learn the organizational structures, communication dynamics, and service requirements impacting our Department, partner entities and populations served.
This position provides excellent development and implementation of environmental health and safety programs addressing workplace and occupational health and safety risks at the University of Washington. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the on-going development, implementation and sustainment of industrial hygiene exposure assessments, respiratory protection and ergonomic safety programs as well as supporting indoor air quality investigations, chemical hazard review and risk assessments. This position ensures that EH&S initiatives are aligned with those articulated by Health Sciences Administration and the University of Washington Central Administration. Diversity is one of UW’s core values and it is expressed, championed, and celebrated in many ways. From inspiring our students to become global citizens, ready to think beyond themselves, to faculty and staff affinity groups that meet to share common cultural experiences—the UW thrives because of the cultural richness of its community. Environmental Health & Safety shares this core value and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Respiratory Protection Program Administrator
• Manage and continually improve the University's Respiratory Protection Program to assure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and to facilitate effective implementation by all University clients and personnel in research, facilities services, medical centers, and others. Policies and programs must address the University-wide aspects with elements tailored to meet the needs of the various clients. The Respiratory Protection Program must be compliant with requirements of Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-842 for Respirators and other regulations for hazardous materials.
• Maintain the University's Respiratory Protection Program, standard operating procedures (SOPs), Respiratory Protection Administrative Policy Statement (APS), web-based and campus outreach materials.
• Provide consultation and technical expertise to clients on respirator selection, use, fit-testing, and respiratory hazard assessment for chemical, biological, and radiological hazards.
• Assure respirator fit-testing and training methods and content are compliant with regulations.
• Conduct independent respiratory protection inspections, assessments, and audits to evaluate regulatory compliance and program effectiveness. • • Provide reports to management.
• Improve means to track respiratory use and identify fiscal planning tools.
• Identify measures to improve and streamline respiratory processes across the campus.
• Work with organizational units and Respirator Coordinators to implement consistent respirator practices and procedures; provide oversight and routinely evaluate the effectiveness of the University's Respiratory Protection Program.
• Provide in-service respiratory training for occupational health and safety specialists/industrial hygienists.
• Assure initial and annual training with annual medical clearance and respiratory fit-testing for all respirator wearers.
• Assure Respiratory Protection Program records management system meets requirements for data quality, security, and protection; specific requirements for employee exposure records.
Occupational Hygiene and Safety Services
• Provide advanced staff knowledge and occupational hygiene technical expertise for the interpretation, application, and implementation of occupational health and safety regulations, industrial hygiene exposure assessments for organizational units as needed, conduct indoor air quality investigations, hazard communication, and other industrial hygiene related assessments.
• In coordination with client groups, develop and implement compliance strategies to address regulatory mandates, which recognize the complex operational and business lines of the University.
• Assist organizational units in the development and implementation of health hazard assessments, injury/illness prevention strategies, including understanding and facilitating root-cause investigations for serious incidents.
• Determine health and safety compliance requirements; conduct comprehensive audit and compliance activities to evaluate program effectiveness; identify areas for improvement; in both technical and layman's terms, communicate health and safety regulatory requirements, University policy, implementing guidelines/recommendations and relative risk to all levels of management, employees, professional and technical staff.
• Conduct exposure assessment strategies to identify occupational health hazards; provide recommendations for engineering and administrative controls, work practices, personal protective equipment, training, and medical surveillance.
• Perform exposure monitoring to determine employee exposures to hazardous chemical, physical and biological agents and to evaluate adequacy of controls; provide written reports to organizational units with recommendations to reduce or eliminate identified health hazards.
• Analyze/evaluate findings and/or analytical data concerning occupational health and safety hazards in all types of UW work environments including trade shops, health care facilities, research laboratories, academic settings; prepare reports.
• Complete detailed records of field activities, inspections, investigations, health hazard assessments, monitoring and sampling results and recommendations. Maintain records in accordance with accepted standards and assuring appropriate confidentiality and audit accountability.
• Conduct incident investigations as part of injury/illness follow-up, including field inspections, exposure assessments). Work with organizational units to identify primary and contributing causes and recommend corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Routinely consult with occupational medical providers on employee exposure monitoring results, occupational hygiene recommendations, medical surveillance requirements, and medical referrals.
• Participate in long-range strategic planning; identify initiatives and operational activities to ensure University compliance with changing standards of occupational health and safety regulations.
• Review accident/injury/illness trend analysis; identify intervention strategies and necessary policy and program improvements.
• Assimilate complex health and safety regulations and knowledge of University operations to develop and present technical training, web guidelines, and other educational outreach materials for delivery to audiences with a broad range of educational and technical backgrounds.
• Participate in departmental, University, and state advisory and/or technical committees and organizational health and safety committees, as assigned.
• Perform IH equipment calibration, maintenance, data entry, and record keeping for field operations; support IH equipment lab operations, as needed.
Ergonomic Program Management
• Manage the UW ergonomic program with assistance from internal subject matter experts and external consultants.
• Conduct ergonomic assessments for office, lab and industrial settings, either independently or with support of consultants.
• Manage and participate in the long-range strategic planning for the UW ergonomic program.
• Manage the UW ergonomic office self-assessment software, analyze data for trends, generate key performance indicators and identify opportunities for continual improvement.
• Conduct ergonomic program audits, identify opportunities for improvement, develop and implement action plan.
• Manage EH&S ergonomic webpage content.
• Support Purchasing process for selection of ergonomic and industrial hygiene consultants under a Master Service Agreement with the University.
• Lead and maintain the Access Technology Center ergonomic furniture and inputting devices showroom to provide employees access to different types of equipment for the workplace.
Departmental Activities and Special Projects
• Promote and implement the client-based model for delivery of occupational health and safety services.
• Incorporate strategic planning initiatives from the EH&S Strategic plan into the routine work plan.
• Support data gathering for metrics and performance monitoring of programs to ensure organizational efficiencies and desired outcomes are met and program goals are reached.
• Attend EH&S departmental and team meetings, work on special projects, other duties/projects as assigned.
• Review and assess legislative rules and bills analysis; provide reports on the potential economic, resource, and implementation impacts of new regulatory rules on the University; recommend proposed actions as necessary; communicate with EH&S staff and University clients on changes.
• Contribute to an atmosphere of mutual support and back-up.
• Assist with occupational health and safety regulatory inspections and consultation activities as needed.
REQUIREMENTS:
• Equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Safety, Occupational Health, Public Administration, Health and Safety or a closely related field
• Three to five years’ experience with industrial hygiene programs, including respiratory protection, chemical exposure assessment, ergonomics and risk management.
• Comprehensive understanding of industrial hygiene principles for determining occupational exposure assessments which includes proficiency in identify hazards, assessing risks, identifying effective controls and understanding the methods required to verify the effectiveness of identified controls.
• Understand and facilitate workplace risk and personal protective equipment (PPE) assessments.
• Knowledge of applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, consensus standards, and current technology concerning health and safety issues, and ability to interpret and apply them.
• Demonstrate an understanding of ventilation concepts and modelings, basic physics involved in a hazard profile (musculoskeletal mechanics) and the limitations of personal protective equipment.
• Support the development of relevant training program content with the possibility of providing employee training.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
DESIRED EXPERIENCE
• Master's degree in industrial hygiene plus at least three years of experience in the occupational safety and health field. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Experience in an academic institution highly desired.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to cultivate strong and collaborative relationships inside and outside the organization.
• Ability to initiate, develop, and maintain positive working relationships with the campus community
• Embracing a spirit of continuous improvement
• Demonstrating professionalism.
• Demonstrated excellent communication skills in English.
• Ability to present information clearly and succinctly verbally, in writing, and in presentations.
• Ability to work successfully both independently with minimal supervision and as a member or lead of a team
• Proficient in MS Office products, including MS Access
• Excellent organizational skills, as demonstrated by the ability to prioritize tasks efficiently and work well under pressure in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment.
• Ability to tolerate ambiguity with patience and good will.
• Strong self-motivation; proactive, high-energy, enthusiastic, “can do” work ethic
• Incorporate strategic planning initiatives from the EH&S strategic plan into the routine work plan.
• Support data gathering for metrics and performance monitoring of programs to ensure organizational efficiencies and desired outcomes are met and program goals are reached.
Certifications and Licenses:
• Certification: Certified Industrial Hygienist is desired but not required.
WORKING CONDITIONS*:
• Frequently stand, sit, and perform desk based computer tasks.
• Occasionally use a telephone, manual documentation.
* Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of his or her job.
As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For detailed information on Benefits for this position, click here.
Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
The University of Washington is a leader in environmental stewardship & sustainability, and committed to becoming climate neutral.
The University of Washington is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 / 206-543-6452 (tty) or dso@uw.edu.